tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5505680790748124100..comments2016-12-09T08:25:17.341-05:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Jul. 14, 2007 - Victor FlemingRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41085948559656154972007-08-26T09:04:00.000-04:002007-08-26T09:04:00.000-04:00For the recycled crowd: This seemed a moderately ...For the recycled crowd: This seemed a moderately difficult SAT puzzle. Being late to the party means that pretty much all the relevant things have been said, particularly about NINONS and RARE. I drank my fair share of tequila in college and haven't come across El Toro but maybe that's just me.joestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81209399353649990272007-08-25T17:33:00.000-04:002007-08-25T17:33:00.000-04:00Well, it feels good to have had pretty much exactl...Well, it feels good to have had pretty much exactly the same solving arc as the 166th greatest crossword puzzle solver in the universe. (Except for taking, I'm sure, five times as long, and there being two of us. And it having fallen into the usual pattern of appearing impossible at first, and then Mrs. 5000 making some breakthroughs, and then me making some breakthroughs, etc., off and on through the morning and afternoon, until we final wrestled that sucker down.) But we got across the hurdles IN THE SAME ORDER, is what I'm sayin'.Michael5000http://www.blogger.com/profile/10148584819327475239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38900111618216988802007-08-25T13:30:00.000-04:002007-08-25T13:30:00.000-04:006WL ::::I entered WHATSTHEBIGdeal instead of IDEA ...6WL ::::<BR/><BR/>I entered WHATSTHEBIGdeal instead of IDEA which had me going in ovals for quite a while. Tried Brentanos instead of BDALTON...wonder it they still exist? Other big goof was going with DES instead of DEL which gave me "shells" for shucks instead of LIESTO...only the E was correct!<BR/><BR/>I guess it would be deshells. I remember the first time in a Triumph TR3, reading the instruction manual, which told me to "dedust the dash".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81441681654089238972007-07-15T02:06:00.000-04:002007-07-15T02:06:00.000-04:00ok, having now gone back and scanned the themeless...ok, having now gone back and scanned the themeless post (i HAD read it, just forgotten the key points), i want to know why this is a puzzle worth accepting - compound phrases: bah humbug - had a meal? give me a break, breadth of vision - lacking, supple joints - none, only creaky joints here.<BR/><BR/>thanks for helping me analyse my own thoughts as to why this puzzle sucked.<BR/><BR/>npnitpickernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58010669164871804972007-07-15T02:00:00.000-04:002007-07-15T02:00:00.000-04:00mdsthanks!will read treatise (which of course i ha...mds<BR/><BR/>thanks!<BR/><BR/>will read treatise (which of course i had missed) - altho would like to hear from some crossword constructors a well.<BR/><BR/>npnitpickernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23701826383388432912007-07-14T20:02:00.000-04:002007-07-14T20:02:00.000-04:00Pretty much had the same SE problems as everyone e...Pretty much had the same SE problems as everyone else (e.g. NINONS, DORA MAAR). BRADSHAW/BDALTON were gimmes so I did NW in a couple of minutes. SW was also pretty easy except for MICR which I was reluctant to pencil in. Did not know ENSOR or ELLER but could get them from the crosses. Not so with MAAR which I had as PAAR and had to change. I thought this was a good and interesting Sat. puzzle with the exception of SE. Too many obscure crossings!jaenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14697853402838960282007-07-14T15:56:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:56:00.000-04:00I made the DERA PAAR mistake too, but it looked no...I made the DERA PAAR mistake too, but it looked no worse to me than NINONS instead of LINENS...so I left it<BR/><BR/>Person who asked how RARE can mean thin? I just thought of rareified air.<BR/><BR/>Person who thought MICR was missing the O, I agree. <BR/><BR/>I totally missed PRISMS. Had to cheat and peek at Rex's solution. Fun puzzle, though. (Especially loved seeing Hank Snow, who is like the Django Reinhardt of country music.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43036749959484936852007-07-14T15:49:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:49:00.000-04:00And to Isabella -- I've heard both Thin and RARE u...And to Isabella -- I've heard both Thin and RARE used to describe the upper reaches of the atmosphere. I wanted to put in BARE, or even possibly PARE but just had to accept Columbus as a MARINER, even though I was trying to come up with some Marxist terminology that ends in B or P.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81608914122225254272007-07-14T15:41:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:41:00.000-04:00I think it was in 2001 when the Metropolitan Musee...I think it was in 2001 when the Metropolitan Museem of Art had a little show of Picasso's mistresses, most of whom were weeping and I think the most poignant was the picture of DORA MAAR bawling her eyes out. My problem with this puzzle came from giving her two Rs instead of As. <BR/><BR/>Had a TA in Art History who was doing her dissertation on ENSOR, so this anchored the puzzle for me.<BR/><BR/>Knowing SF very well I tried the Haight, the Marina, the Sunset ... and then just decided to circulate the City and finally drop in to a gay bar.<BR/><BR/>Also had qualms about VENICE, so traced it in very lightly until I could FORGIVE FIREBOMB and MICR and assertively ink it in.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11975214368681893312007-07-14T15:16:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:16:00.000-04:00What's the deal with MICR? I can see microminute b...What's the deal with MICR? I can see microminute but micr? Please explain if you can justify this!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-68494863356259255152007-07-14T15:06:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:06:00.000-04:00I generally like obscurities in Fri/Sat puzzles, b...I generally like obscurities in Fri/Sat puzzles, but the obscurities here (ninons and Dora Maar) sucked. Obscurities are good when they're about something interesting or moderately useful, but both of these are pretty much meh. The only people who care about ninons are interior decorators, and I don't particularly like Picasso's work and don't care who he was sticking it to. Other than that, I thought the puzzle was pretty good.Tyronehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114366524150203714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19542712154998120442007-07-14T14:43:00.000-04:002007-07-14T14:43:00.000-04:00I got most of the clues quickly and got stuck wher...I got most of the clues quickly and got stuck where others said they got stuck--I had Marco instead of Mateo, and at first had Martin for pope instead of Adrian. Got The Castro right away, and Ensor, but I do not understand "rare" for the clue thin. <BR/><BR/>I looked up the etymology of the word "rare" and found this:<BR/><BR/>"unusual," c.1420, originally "few in number and widely separated," from O.Fr. rere "sparse" (14c.), from L. rarus <B>"thinly sown,</B> having a loose texture," from PIE *er-, *ere- "to loose, split, separate" (cf. Skt. rte "besides, except," viralah "distant, tight, rare;" O.C.S. oriti "to dissolve, destroy;" Lith. irti "to dissolve;" O.C.S. rediku "rare;" Gk. eremos "solitary"). "Few in number," hence, "unusual" (1542). Rarity is attested from 1560, from M.Fr. rarité (16c.), from L. raritas <B>"thinness, fewness,"</B> from rarus. In chemistry, rare earth is from 1875.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I've never seen the word rare used for "thin." Except for today.<BR/><BR/>What's the big idea?Isabella di Pestonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59073975105143919162007-07-14T14:26:00.000-04:002007-07-14T14:26:00.000-04:00Nitpicker, I wrote a whole @#$-ing treatise on wha...Nitpicker, I wrote a whole @#$-ing treatise on what makes a great FRI/SAT puzzle ("Themeless"). See sidebar. Though maybe ... you want to hear what other people want to say. Seems unnecessary, but OK... :)<BR/><BR/>mdsRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46948212268670152072007-07-14T14:14:00.000-04:002007-07-14T14:14:00.000-04:00This was tough - obscure crossings, dora maar, nin...This was tough - obscure crossings, dora maar, ninon, etc. But hey, it's a Saturday (and I am only up to finishing Thursdays so far)!<BR/><BR/>I would like some comments on what makes a great Friday/Saturday puzzle - my favorites are those where sparkly fill is retained, most answers are semi-recognizable, and once you get some crossings you get some ahas! Can't say the same for today's puzzle hence the relevance of this question.<BR/><BR/>npnitpickernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33555123734943232962007-07-14T14:09:00.000-04:002007-07-14T14:09:00.000-04:00This puzzle just a disaster for me. Don't know mu...This puzzle just a disaster for me. Don't know much about art, nor San Fransisco, nor ninons, and - augh. Just too many holes for me today.<BR/><BR/>I never even knew the Edsel had been around long enough to have models. I wasn't even sure Pacer was right. <BR/><BR/>On the plus side, I had BRADSHAW right way and WHATS THE BID IDEA. Those were early in the puzzle and I thought I was on my way.<BR/><BR/>Maybe next Saturday.liebestraumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77336296994472109652007-07-14T13:26:00.000-04:002007-07-14T13:26:00.000-04:00I had DORAPAAR which gave me PAS instead of MAS an...I had DORAPAAR which gave me PAS instead of MAS and could not have been corrected without trial and error on the applet or googling. NINONS was inane. The Aunt ELLER clue was a good example of a clue that tries to be fresh buts ends up too easy. Aunt ELLER is a crossword staple and that song screamed Oklahoma!<BR/>Now that my ranting is over i should say I enjoyed Vic's puzzle nonetheless.barrywephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025848655112601237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86202422573420442362007-07-14T12:44:00.000-04:002007-07-14T12:44:00.000-04:00I fell into a lot of different traps than Rex...I ...I fell into a lot of different traps than Rex...I tried DIABOLIC for DEVILISH, ATE A MEAL instead of HAD, and ENTRYWAY for ENTRANCE. I got B DALTON early, but then tried to replace it with BORDERS for some reason. And not knowing Oviedo is in Spain, I tried DES instead of DEL, which was the last mistake I found.Karennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5673807348318351472007-07-14T12:21:00.000-04:002007-07-14T12:21:00.000-04:00For me, the M in Dora Maar was the last letter of ...For me, the M in Dora Maar was the last letter of the puzzle. There was no help from the cross because either Mas or Pas could be correct. But I thought that if I had ever seen Paar I would have connected it with Jack Paar, so I entered Maar and finished correctly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6927339648971038292007-07-14T11:34:00.000-04:002007-07-14T11:34:00.000-04:00Well ... DORA MAAR is fair, it's true, but I'm not...Well ... DORA MAAR is fair, it's true, but I'm not sure about the "typical literate Times reader" part. That person would know Picasso, surely, and "Guernica," probably. Cubism, yes. Blue Period, likely. But DORA MAAR - it's not blazingly obscure, but it's a bit deeper in the Picasso waters than the majority of literate, not especially art-loving folks have waded. I'm guessing.Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55201934570993988452007-07-14T11:29:00.000-04:002007-07-14T11:29:00.000-04:00Actually knew NINONS -- we had ninon sheers behind...Actually knew NINONS -- we had ninon sheers behind the heavy drapes in my childhood house. That way you could open the drapes and get some light but still have privacy.<BR/><BR/>But there was plenty of stuff I didn't know ; )Linda Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15816794362786044423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89623122390568139302007-07-14T11:26:00.000-04:002007-07-14T11:26:00.000-04:00Can we all agree that "ninons" is the stupidest wo...Can we all agree that "ninons" is the stupidest word in a long, long time? Also thought that "Venice" as the locale of the Antonio/Shylock litigation was too obvious to be correct, so that threw off the "Marco"/"Mateo" cross. But, at least this Saturday effort bore some resemblance to reality.judgesullynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76044387826012015462007-07-14T11:07:00.000-04:002007-07-14T11:07:00.000-04:00Hurray for 'They'! Without them I would never have...Hurray for 'They'! Without them I would never have met Belgium's Famous Painter, nor would I have known, earlier this week, that an ECHIDNA was a mammal.<BR/><BR/>But thanks for your blog today, Rex. I was certain I had NINONS and DORA MAAR wrong. That crossing O was simply a guess.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490129451879399528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50743387117821043002007-07-14T10:57:00.000-04:002007-07-14T10:57:00.000-04:00What exactly is a hiree? I've heard of new employ...What exactly is a hiree? I've heard of new employees being called new <I>hires</I>, I've never heard of one being called a hiree. I had to Google the name of the painter for the cross because while I suspected the answer might be hiree, at the same time I thought "No, it can't be hiree, that's stupid. No one calls new employees <I>hirees</I>, but what do I know?Bluenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80181221842262418042007-07-14T10:38:00.000-04:002007-07-14T10:38:00.000-04:00What about the typical illiterate Times reader/sol...What about the typical illiterate Times reader/solver?wadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29015513626919407252007-07-14T10:33:00.000-04:002007-07-14T10:33:00.000-04:00I suspect Dora Maar is one of those names Will Sho...I suspect Dora Maar is one of those names Will Shortz expects the typical literate Times reader/solver to know.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.com